Area News

SHERMAN, Texas – A Dallas man has been sentenced to federal prison as a result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Juan Jose Montanez, also known as Happy Johnny, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to…

By Van Yandell John 1: 1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Watching a predator bird on the hunt…

EVENTS CALENDAR Your June Event Picks COURTESY MARBLE FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE June 5-7, Marble Falls Battle on the Colorado After making a splashy debut last year, Formula 1’s powerboat racing series returns to Lake Marble Falls, one of six stops on the 2026 schedule. The action gets underway Friday with test sessions, where…

By Jenna Nyberg The U.S. government ended penny production in May 2025, and shortages are already impacting businesses and taxpayers nationwide. Our 5 cents on the situation: 1. Changes at checkout Sales tax on transactions must always be calculated on the exact sales price before rounding. The calculated tax must be remitted even if the…

Hello, Now is the moment to step forward and be part of something bigger. Americans everywhere are invited to support their communities, strengthen connections, and help shape a historic Independence Day as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary. A New Tradition Begins This July 4th we’re working to transform Independence Day into the largest single…

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune May 12, 2026 Gary Grief, former executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, was indicted by a Travis County grand jury last month for felony abuse of office before the case was dismissed three days later at the request of an assistant district attorney, court records show. The April…

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.   Wendell Rashaud McKinney, 38, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison by U.S.…

By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune April 8, 2026 Smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, are allowed back on shelves for now. The state’s 15th Court of Appeals granted a request by lawyers for the hemp industry to reinstate a temporary pause on the smokeable hemp ban. The appeals court is…

By Amanda Seitz May 13, 2026 During a stop on his “Take Back Your Health” tour, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits a childcare center in Toledo, Ohio. (Amanda Seitz/KFF Health News) TOLEDO, Ohio — The little boy, dressed in a Toy Story sweatshirt, wrapped himself around the nation’s health secretary.…

 Hyperspectral Survey of the West Supports USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative NASA’s ER‑2 high‑altitude research aircraft touches down in Colorado Springs May 11, 2026, after completing a hyperspectral survey flight for the joint USGS– NASA effort to map critical minerals across the western United States. USGS photo by Peter Pearsall.   COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —…